Mama's Boy
by Aurincha
Summary: When Jack leaves home to become a trainer, his mother comes with him. At first he doesn't think there's much to it, but then a greater plot is revealed... And it has to do with Jack's deceased father. How will a 10-year-old survive?
1. How My Nightmare Began

**How My Nightmare Began **(AKA Prologue)

The sun shone trough my window and woke me up. As I opened my eyes, I realized it was a ridiculously beautiful weather outside. The sun shone brightly, yet it wasn't too bright, and all the bird pokémon sang with their very clear, yet not too loud voices. There were a couple of clouds on the sky to perfect the image with their gentle shadows. Even all the plants were blooming, completely ignoring the fact that it was already June and that they had already bloomed this year. From this weather I knew that this was the day. This was the day I would start my journey as a real pokémon trainer.

My name is Jack and I am ten years old. Ever since my 10th birthday I had waited for this day to come, but it had rained for the whole week. Everybody knows you just can't start as a trainer if it's a rainy day. That's why I knew my day had finally come. Moreover, the scent of a delicious breakfast floated in the air. My mom was usually a late sleeper, but today she had gotten up early and made some... What could this be? Pancakes?

I dressed up and ran downstrairs. There, in the kitchen, was my mom, all dressed up and making pancakes for breakfast. This should have alarmed me, but I was so happy I didn't pay any attention. I stood there and watched her for a while. I felt a bit bad for leaving her by herself, but I guessed she didn't have any problems with me leaving. At least now she'd have the whole house and all her time to herself and Blanca. Blanca was a ninetales and a really old one, too. She had been my dad's pokémon when he was still alive. Now she had no trainer but she stayed with Mom for who knows what reason.

My mom was still a fairly young woman. She had happy blue eyes and bluish-black hair, so I didn't really look like her at all with my brown eyes, dark reddish hair and tan skin. Everybody said I took after my father. And not only my appearance, but my personality, too. He had been a pokémon researcher before he died. I never knew him, I was so small when he died, and my mom never talked about him, so I didn't know an awful lot about him. As I said, I was worried to leave my mom alone, but I was sure she'd get over it. I wonder who'll travel with me on my journeys...?

"Oh, Jack, you're awake," Mom said when she turned around to put some jam on the two servings of pancakes.

"Of course I am! Don't you know what day today is?" I answered with great enthusiasm.

"Sure I do!" Mom said and put the plates on the table. "We're leaving to be pokémon trainers today. Now, come and eat, or we'll be late!"

"Thanks for the breakfast, Mom," I shouted and sat to eat. Then, I realized. "Wait. 'We'?"

"Me and you, honey," Mom said and patted my head before sitting down herself.

"You? But..."

"I never got to go as a trainer, so I still haven't claimed my starter pokémon. I thought I could do so now and go together with you," she said and started to eat.

"Are you serious?" I couldn't believe my ears.

"Why would I be joking," she asked with a sincere face, "I have every right to go. Besides, I'm worried about you! You'll starve to death without me."

"But... But..." This was not how things are supposed to go! She should have said that she loves me and that I should have a great journey and come back as the best trainer ever, and what does she say? 'You'll starve to death, I'll come with you.' Then I realized she was probably joking. I stared at her.

"Eat up, young man, or I'll go without you," she smiled, got up and went upstairs. She _must_ be joking, I thought and started to eat so I wouldn't be late.

Minutes after, she came down in the most peculiar outfit. She had a red miniskirt and a red hoodie with black tights and a dark blue belt, scarf and legwarmers. I almost choked on my food as I stared at my Mother. Her hoodie had a pokéball logo on its back. I could have mistaken her for a 19-year-old, but that was not the point.

She was clearly serious about coming with me. My mom was starting her journey as a trainer with me. I'd finally become a trainer - with my mom!

I should've realized to dig a grave for my dreams to become a trainer right away and go for being a sales clerk or something. I clearly had the worst luck in this world. So, it was no wonder my journey turned out as it did.


	2. Chapter 1: Fluffy

**Chapter 1 - Fluffy**

There I was, minutes away from fulfilling my dream.

I stood in the line in front of Professor Jaques LeBlanc's lab with about twenty other kinds my age, some a bit older. Everyone were chatting about their first and second choices for starter pokémon and first catches. They had all decided their choices months ago, just like I did. I felt happy, but there was a large black shadow on my field of happiness.

My mom stood in the line, too. And she stuck out like a sore thumb.

All the other moms and dads that stood nearby were looking at her like she was a complete idiot that, frankly, I think she was. She stood there and had a happy chit-chat with the eleven-year-old kid from next door. I had no idea what they were dicussing, because I was the last person in the line and they were the first ones. She had reserved a place for me, too, but I chose to stand far away from her.

Well, not that anyone there would not have known whose mother she was.

Now, I really didn't have any problems with my Mother before. She is a friendly person with a great sense of humour and a young mind, so we understand each other really well. She's strict, but not too strict, and makes me do only a reasonable amount of household duties. I don't think she ever realized how much all this trainer stuff meant to me. That had to be it, because otherwise she would have understood I did not want her with me.

This was _my_ thing, not hers.

And she was ruining it pretty badly.

As I was sulking by myself at the end of the line, Professor LeBlanc came out. He was a tall man with blond hair and pale skin and he was always wearing red clothes under his lab coat. The word was that he had come from some foreign country, and that seemed to be true, as he had a slight accent to his speach. I really admired Professor LeBlanc, and I had done so since I was a little kid.

"All right, everyone," he said and silenced the whole crowd with his mere presence, "Before I start giving out your starter pokémon, I have an announcement to make. As you all probably now, this year we have received a true priviledge here in Parsley Town. Instead of the regular startes given out everywhere else in Voitto, we are giving out starter pokémon from Sinnoh region. This is a true ratity, so everyone be happy!"

A storm of applauds followed his announcement. I did not know that a bunch of kids could make that much noise with their hands, but then again, I myself was clapping for at least eleven people.

"Now, come on inside, but remember to keep in line," Professor said and turned towards my Mother and the kid next to him, "Are you in the line, Mrs. Killigan?"

"Well, actually, I am," answered my mom and blushed, "And I wonder, what might that announcement of yours meant, technically speaking?"

"Ah, nothing much, Mrs. Killigan," LeBlanc laughed, "It just means that instead of the usual bulbasaur, squirtle and charmander, you now get to choose from turtwig, piplup and chimchar."

"Oh my, what if I don't know any of those?" my Mother asked.

I flipped. "Go home if you don't know anything," I yelled at her. How could she embarass me that way in front of the other kids? All those children had played with me at one point in my life, and there were some of my best friends in that line, too. There was Mari, who was practically my sister - although I think she already knew what Mom was like. There was Paul, one of the best friends I had from school. There was also Lilian, this really cute and shy girl... I could keep going forever...

"I see Jack Killigan is here today as well," professor LeBlanc said smiling, "Has everyone made their choice of pokémon already?"

His question was answered by a horrible noise as everyone started to yell what they wanted, why they wanted them and what they definitely did not want. I was grumpy, so I muttered "yes" and remained silent for the rest of the time it took to calm everyone down.

"I'm not sure yet," said my Mother. Of course it had to come. How could she not draw attention to herself by revealing her complete ignorance by every word she said?

"Piplup's the water one, turtwig's the grass one and chimcar's the fire one," helped the kid next to her.

"That's a hard choice to make," she said and sighed, "Which one's the best?"

A freezing silence floated in the air. Every single kid in the line and a couple of older siblings from the audience stared at my mom with big, round, surprised eyes, their mouths wide open from the shock. Even my mom could sense something was out of normal, as she looked rather startled. How little did she know! She should not have looked startled, she should have been absolutely horrendously terrified like I was. She had just thrown gasoline to open flames. And as I suspected, all the kids started shouting at the exact same second.

"Piplup is the best! He's a water type, so he totally rocks!"

"Turtwig, you should take turtwig! Sure he's a bit slow, but the defense is awesome!"

"Piplup as the best moves!"

"Chimchar can't learn Surf!"

"Chimchar is the best there ever was, he has fighting moves, too!"

"He's the fastest!"

"You're wrong! Don't you know anything about pokémon?"

"If you're that stupid, you should just go home. No-one sensible would pick turtwig!"

"I hate you! I have always hated you!"

"Noob!"

"CALM DOWN EVERYONE," professor LeBlanc yelled, his face as read as his shirt, "enough about this nonsense already! The next one to hit someone goes straight home and has to wait another year to get a starter. Understood?"

Nobody said a word. The professor then leaded us inside his lab and ordered us to form a line shaped like an arch. That way we could all see the round table he had put in the middle of the lab. It had three sections in it, each with about seven pokéballs.

"Mrs. Killigan should get to pick first as she seems to know nothing of these pokémon," professor LeBlanc said and pointed at his hand to make my Mother step up from the line, "Which type would you like, April Killigan?"

"A grass type for me," she stated in a clear voice. I was surprised that she actually had come to a conclusion and decided on one of the pokémon. I supposed her decision was based on the colour picture of the three pokémon that was posted on the wall. LeBlanc took a pokéball and gave it to Mom, instructing her to let the pokémon out so they could confirm her trainership to him. She let her turtwig out from the pokéball, and you wouldn't know, the most unexpected thing happened - again.

Everyone stared at her light blue turtwig as he sat on the ground and looked curiously at his new trainer.

"Umm, pardon me for asking stupid questions, but shouldn't he be green?" That, again, was my Mother.

"Mom, he's a shiny," I told her and tried to hide my utter despair. Why did she have to take everything away from me?

"He doesn't shine," my Mother protested, but the surprised professor interrupted her now that he had her ability to speak again.

"Shiny doesn't necessarily mean a shining pokémon," he explained, "Shiny pokémon are found in every species, but they're ultra super mega rare. I think the last shiny starter was seen fifty years ago, and that was in Johto. I don't think there has ever been a shiny starter turtwig. You should concider yourself very lucky, April Killigan."

"Isn't that great, Jack?" She was obviously really excited, so I just smiled at her instead of crying my eyes out. Frankly, that was the thing I wanted to do most at that time. All the kids were still silent and green from envy, but they could not possibly have known how I felt.

"W-would you like to nickname it, Mrs. Killigan..?" asked the professor in trembly voice. He was still very shocked by the shiny starter he had just given out.

"Yes, indeed I would," Mom answeared and patted her turtwig gently on the head, "I think Fluffy will do."

"Fluffy?!" I was so angry, jealous, disapointed and depressed that I didn't even know should I cry or laugh anymore, "You can't name that thing 'Fluffy'! That's insane, Mom! You should treat him with some respect!"

"I'm not the one who called him 'that thing'," Mom said and looked a bit hurt, "If I say he's Fluffy, then Fluffy he is."

That was all I could think about when I waited for my turn to choose. I kept my eyes closed and hoped that I would wake up. I didn't mind seeing my Mom often even when I was on my journey as a trainer. I always thought I'd invite her to see me and my new friends and make long phonecalls to tell her about my new pokémon and how I'd grown. But I couldn't stand the idea of her being there every day, all the time, with her stupid shiny started turtwig she named Fluffy... Of all the names in this world, she had to choose Fluffy! It was a bad name for a skitty, but for crying out loud, Fluffy the Turtwig...

"Jack Killigan, I believe you're the only one left," LeBlanc said smiling and had me open my eyes, "What would be your choice..?"

I had had a hard time deciding between piplup and chimchar, but now that Mom had a grass type, I had to have a chimchar. For that purpose, I had come up with this awesome strategy about a week ago. You know, when you're the last one to choose your starter, you never get the one you request for first. So, I decided to ask piplup first and when told there weren't any, I'd "settle" with my chimchar. The first thing I'd do with my chimchar, who I'd name either Marianne or Raymond after my father, would be beating up my Mother in a fair fight. Maybe that'd make me feel better, too.

"I want a piplup," I said. I think I was blushing out of sheer enthusiasm. My dream was finally coming true. Now it didn't matter if Mom was with me or not, because I was going to be a real pokémon trainer with real pokémon. Nobody could stop me from being happy now!

"Here you go!"

"Ahhh, too bad, I guess I'll have to take chim... Wait, what?"

"Here's your piplup. He's the last one of his kind, too, so you were lucky, young mister Killigan!" LeBlanc smiled with his whole face, beaming of happiness for the sake of my heavenly luck. Grown-ups really are more stupid than you'd think, aren't they?

"But, ah, I would want... I want a chimchar, really..." I mumbled, holding the pokéball of that held the last piplup inside it. I held it like an idiot, I really should have given it back and said I didn't want it.

"Go on, let the piplup out," LeBlanc encouraged me and pointed at the button on the pokéball. I was about to object, but a swift look at the round table silenced me. The section for chimchar balls was empty. I had not fooled the law of the last choice maker after all. I had only fooled myself. Well, a piplup wasn't so bad, was it?

As expected, he wasn't a shiny. The only thing special about him was a dark stripe on his peck. He seemed like a nice fellow, looking at me curiously and all. I knew I'd get along with him, so I started to feel at ease again.

"Would you want your name to be Piyon," I asked him out of an impulse. He looked at me, deep in thought for a while. He had such a dark eyes, and yet he looked so small and stupid. I'm not going to modify the truth to be more beautiful, he really didn't look like he was the brightest bulb in the bunch. Then he nodded.

"Piyon it is," I said and shook hands or paws or fins or whatever with him. Piyon, my piplup. So much for the name Raymond, then.

"You're surprisingly nice, Jack," professor LeBlanc told me when he gave me my blue pokedex and five pokéballs, "I really thought you'd go straight for the fire type, but look at that! You chose a water type after all. Are you planning on letting your mother win on purpose?"

That really shattered my world. I could win Mom's turtwig, whom I refuse to call Fluffy, if I really put some effort to it... But considering my luck, I was never going to beat her. Not with anything. Not even if Piyon was the most awesome piplup on the face of this earth, which I doubt.

My dream. Ah, my sweet dream was finally true, but at what cost?

When I got out of the lab, my Mom stood there with a beaming smile and her turtwig in her lap.

"I think your little pokémon and my Fluffy here are going to be friends, aren't they, Jack honey?"

The abyss I had descended to... The horrifying journey that was ahead of me... How much bad luck does a person need to have a mother that names her shiny turtwig Fluffy?

And to think that wasn't even the worse part...


	3. Chapter 2: Mari and Flashfire Fist

**Chapter 2 - Mari, Lilian and Flashfire Fist**

"Charlie!" yelled a voice from behind me. I didn't have to turn aroundto know who she was, as there was only one person on this world who called me Charlie. I had tried to make her stop it, but she never did, so I had given up years ago. She thought that 'Jack' was too short of a name so she named me 'Charlie'. Yeah, and she was the one to say, as her name was Mari, which is precisely as short as my name.

"Hi there, Mari," I and turned around to face her, just to be polite. Mari Itaka, as odd as it was, was my best friend. Her mother had been my father's assistent before they both died in the same accident. Her father was a well known scientist and a professor, so he was busy with his work all the time. So, as we were the same age, Mari had spent two thirds of her childhood in our house. We grew up together, and in a way, she was like my sister. She often ate and spent the night with me and my Mom. She could cook by herself despite her young age, but she preferred to eat my mother's food. I don't blame her, my mother made the best food there is.

"So, you chose a piplup, huh," she asked me and looked at my Piyon, who was walking next to me. I had yet to call him back to his ball because I had thought I'd let him see my hometown a bit.

"Of course I chose a piplup," I said confidently and tried to make myself believe I preferred my Piyon over any stupid chimchar or any other pokémon for that matter.

"Too bad," she said with a disappointed look on her face, "I kind of hoped I would have the elemental advantage against you. I guess I'll have to settle with battling aunt April and Lilian, then."

"Y-you got a chimchar?" I couldn't believe my ears. Apparently there was some sort of conspiracy against me. She looked at me with an arrogant look on her face. She would have been a nice-looking girl if she hadn't had that arrogant face on all the time. She looked at bit unusual because both her parents were from a far-away place. She had these huge, grey eyes, so it was really scary when she glared at someone. Her hair was black, but it looked like it was dark red in right lighting. Nobody else had that king of hair and that's why some rich girls teased her back in kindergarten. They once cut her hair all short when she was taking a nap and I had to take revenge for her. I did it by putting gum in those rich girls' hats so their hair got all messed up and had to be cut, too. After that, Mari had always kept her hair short.

Now she somehow managed to make a big fuss over throwing a pokéball. She made overly large and dramatical maneuvers when taking out her ball and then took a "cool" pose before throwing it.

"A-ha!" she shouted when her chimchar appeared in front of me, "Meet my chimchar, Charlie! Her name is Flashfire Fist!"

"Y-You g-gotta be k-kidding me," I said to her, barely keeping myself from breaking into uncontrollable laughter. This was ridiculous. First my Mom named her turtwig Fluffy and now Mari had named her chimchar... What? Flashfire Fist? Ah, it was all far too ridiculous to be true.

"Of course I am serious," she told me with a dead serious face, "You don't joke about things like these. I thought about naming her 'The Duchess Flashfire Fist the First', but Lilian here told me it's too long. Maybe it would indeed have been too long, but I like long names."

"Flashfire Fist is also too long," Lilian said with a faint voice behind her. Now, there was a sensible person. Lilian was like an angel: she was kind, quiet and thoughtful. Maybe she's a bit shy, but that's only cute, right? She had light brown curly hair and beautiful green eyes. No matter how you looked at her, she was beautiful, even though she was only eleven. I had planned to make her my girlfriend when I was old enough. She was very serious, not at all a joker like me and Mari. She smiled often but I had never heard her laugh.

"You should call her Fanny," I told Mari, trying to sound serious to impress Lilian. I always tried to sound mature when Lilian was around. After all, she was older than me and Mari.

"That's so lame, but I guess I'll have to," Mari answered and shrugged, "I can't yell 'Flashfire Fist' in a battle, after all. It'd take me forever to finish my command. Just remember it is her real name, okay? Well then, what lame name did you give this pathetic penguin of yours?"

"His name is Piyon, just so you know," I said defiantly and Piyon nodded. He seemed angry. Apparently he was of the easily provocative type.

"Mari and Lilian, which way are you heading?" asked my Mom. For a moment there I had completely forgot that she was still standing there, pretending to be a ten-year-old. I had already got my hopes up about traveling with Mari and Lilian, but I didn't think they would want to go with my Mom. Who would?

"Aunt April," Mari shouted, "How thrilling to see you became a trainer, too! And you even got a shiny starter pokémon! I'm soooo jealous - and I bet Charlie is, too."

"It's a lousy turtwig anyway, so I don't mind," I lied, but nobody really listened to me except for Piyon, who looked strictly at me and nodded with a proud look on its tiny and overly cute and stupid face.

"I think it's great that you still want to try at that age," Lilian said silently to my Mom and almost gave me a heart attack. Excuse me, but what the heck? What was so great about it?

"We haven't thought about a direction yet," Mari told Mom and seemed a bit imbarassed. "They recommend every starting trainer from Parcel Town to fight their first gym battle in New Viridian City, so I guess we'd be heading there..."

"I reckon we have to go there, too. So, would you girls like to travel with me and Jack?" asked Mom, and I swear that for a second my heart actualy stopped. I would've never had the courage to ask Mari and Lilian to travel with us - yes, I had already given up on going without Mom - but I really liked the idea. Mari was annoying, but she was my best friend, after all. Also, if I traveled together with Lilian, maybe she'd fall in love with me! I could be a hero and save her from something bad. Maybe Mari would help me if I told her I liked Lilian...

"Of course we would like to travel with you, aunt April," Mari answered and gave Mom her most charming smile.

"I have no problem with that," said Lilian. It was only now that I noticed the absol behind her. I had never seen a real, living absol before. I had heard they were pretty rare and I had always admired their cool looks, with the horn and the red eyes and all. They were brave creatures that fought natural disasters even in the wild. The Elite Four Champion Lauranna had once given a medal to an absol for saving a small town from a terrible flood. I hoped I could do the same when I would be the E4-champion myself.

"Lilian, how come you have an absol?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh," she said and turned towards the absol, "This is Emma. I've had her since I was really small, so I had her registered as my starter pokémon."

"Isn't that a bit unfair?" I mumbled and looked at Emma in great admiration. She looked back at me with her ruby-coloured eyes and I can swear it looked like she was amused by something.

"I have to go get Blanca and some cooking utensils before we can go," Mom said and smiled at the girls. She then turned away and started walking towards our house with Fluffy on her arms.

"Oh dear, I forgot about Blanca," I heard Mari mumble. She was not in very good terms with Blanca. Blanca was old, even for a ninetales, and therefore she loathed all sorts of noises, many for which Mari was the source. Blanca was grumpy and inconsiderate, which was a very bad combination. She would sometimes burn Mari's short hair so it was all curly and smelled weird. But that was only when she was having a bad mood. Most fo the times she was busy minding her own business and letting Mari make however loud noises she wanted to.

"Don't worry about it, Mari," I told her and shoved her gently with my elbow, "We're real trainers now, going on a real journey with real pokémon!"

"Yeah, you're right," she said and put on a devilish smile, "But what was that about real trainers? I haven't heard about real trainers traveling with their Moms! I might be a real trainer, and Lilian is, too, but you're just a mama's boy!"

I wanted to go home.

Oh, how badly I wanted to go home.

***

_"I know he hates this," April Killigan told the old ninetales while patting her head, "I know I souldn't come with him, but I can't let him leave alone. It's too dangerous for him."_

_"Lucky that you managed to get Mari with you," answered Blanca the Ninetales. April could understand her because she was, like 40% of all trainers, sensitive to pokémon's speech. She might not have understood the words, but the meaning got though to her. Also, maybe due to her old age, Blanca was exceptionally good in communicating with humans._

_"I know," April sighed, "I think I can be at ease now. Expecially if you come with us."_

_"I will come," Blanca groaned and stood up, "Although it's troublesome, I will come. Jack is Raymond's son, after all, and I've grown fond of that boy."_

_April didn't say anything. She got up and went to kitchen to pack up her kettles, pans and knives. Blanca closed her eyes for a Moment and drifted back in time with her memories._

_"I'll make sure Jack won't befall the same destiny as his father did," she mumbled and would've shed a tear if she could._


End file.
